Commemorative & Fantasy Models (Presidents, Events, NMRA, Magazines, Clubs, LHSs, etc.)

Unbuilt kit count?
:innocent:

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Sattler’s is apparently still in business, at the same address in Westminster (suburban Philadelphia area) and apparently this is what the store looks like now:

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Thanks for your comment, @Woke_Hoagland.
I didn’t realize Westmont NJ was close to Philadelphia PA. What’s the name “Westminster”?

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Tony’s Train Town, Cedar Grove NJ





Athearn 40’ slide-door boxcar

The shop was opened by Al (Adolph C.) Puntasecca in 1979 and closed in 2016 when he passed away at the age of 86. “Tony” is the name of his first son, and the address written on the model appears to be the shopping mall where the shop was located around 1982. After the shop closed, Lionel and others worked hard to sell off the inventory, and the price tags on the box may have been added at that time (NorthJersey.com).The body color appears to be modeled after TTX Yellow, a reference to the shop’s name.

The three photos below show 575 Pompton Ave., which is thought to be the shop’s final location.


04/24/2011 Google Map


Mapio.net, “32nd Anniversary”= 2011?


Patch.com, 11/20/2012

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Westminster is an early planned development in Elizabeth, NJ, between the city of Elizabeth proper and Hillside. It was developed by the same person who sold the land for Bell Labs in Holmdel and Newark (now Liberty) Airport.

There is also a Westminster Choir College in the Princeton (central New Jersey) area.

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Thank you, @Woke_Hoagland. I remember hearing that an elderly man had visited Sattler’s in the 1980s looking for brass models.

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Rich’s Hobbytowne 1971, Pine Brook NJ




MDC/Roundhouse 50’ plug-door boxcar


Page 60 of the May 1971 issue of MR magazine


Purchased from Rita’s Retros


The building was previously a Methodist church. The first floor was turned into a mini-museum named after the place, “Hook Mt. Junction Model Museum.” The exterior photo is a postcard made at the time of the relocation, taken from the website of a local history researcher. (retouched)

The history of the shop is considered to be as follows:
First, it opened in Greenville NC in 1949, moved to Boonton NJ in 1952, moved to Parsippany in 1954, then moved to Pine Brook in 1971, and went out of business in 1975.


Parsippany era in 1961 (flickr.com)


Shop owner Richard H. Palmer stands in the monster figurine section in 1964 (HyperScaleForum)

The April 29, 1973, issue of The New York Times, in its “Shop Talk” column, featured an article titled “It All Started With Model Gliders,” introducing the shop and museum, noting that it began 24 years earlier in Greenville, North Carolina.

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Apparently Rich’s Hobbytowne lasted through the 1970s; the closure was in the '80s and attributed to the rise in video gaming. The church became a GameStop and then a high-end restaurant which did not succeed; the building was torn down in 2010.

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@Woke_Hoagland, you know of this shop. That’s amazing. :heart_eyes:
I searched for “Rich’s Hobbytowne” in the “Railroad Magazine Index” and the last thing I found was a listing ad in the September 1975 issue of MR magazine. Is there any evidence that the shop was in business into the 1980s?

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Thank you, @Woke_Hoagland.

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New Jersey Coast Model Railroad Club 1976, Elberon NJ





MDC/Roundhouse 40’ AAR boxcar


This model is advertised on page 4 of the May 1977 issue of MR magazine for $4.95 including shipping (text only).

According to a report on page 162 of the October 1988 issue of the magazine, the former station building in Elberon, which had been rented for use as a layout and museum, was destroyed in a fire, and the group is now looking for an alternative facility. Its whereabouts since then are unknown.

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Hi-Way Hobby House 1978, Ramsey NJ
Standard Hobby Supply, Mahwah NJ
Bergen Electric & Products Co., Ridgewood NJ





Mantua Metal Products 50’ Plug-Door Boxcar

According to cafemom.com (now defunct), the store was founded in 1953. Three brothers, Frank Sr., Sal, and Carl Mangano, opened a model train shop called “Ridgewood Train Center” in Ridgewood, New Jersey (Note 1). In 1955, they founded “Bergen Electric & Products Co.”, a power pack manufacturer. In 1956, they moved the store to Ramsey, New Jersey, along US Route 17, and renamed it “Hi-Way Hobby House.” In 1976, they built their own store building north of Route 17 and moved there. It closed in June 2010.
The first advertisement for this brand in MR magazine was on page 9 of the March 1961 issue, and from the March 1964 issue onwards, it was limited to the list of model shops at the end of the magazine. In 2003, marking the 50th anniversary, a commemorative freight car manufactured by Bachmann was released.


Page 9 of the Mar. 1961 issue of MR magazine


The Facebook video from which the image is taken is an 8mm film of the construction of the new store in 1976. Length: 1 hour 19 minutes, part talkie.

“Standard Hobby Supply” first appeared in the August 1974 issue of MR as a discount store specializing in mail-order sales (Note 2). Initially, the company kept its relationship with the store secret. From the October 1976 issue, it began to advertise heavily, with double-page spreads or advertisements spanning several consecutive pages. From the November 2004 issue, the brick-and-mortar store “Hi-Way” was mentioned. Their demise occurred simultaneously.
[Note 1] It was also called “Ridgewood Train & Hobby Center.”
[Note 2] Later SHS advertisements claim the brand was “established in 1973.”


Page 105 of the Nov. 2004 issue of MR magazine


Page 15 of the Sept. 1955 issue of MR magazine

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Conway Scenic Railroad 2004, North Conway, New Hampshire




Athearn 40’ steel-side ice reefer

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I still make sure to stop by this place every year when I invade NJ at Christmas. Hang on Bruce! There are so few places like this left.

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Rio Grande Valley Model Railroad Club 1981, Albuquerque NM





Train-Miniature 40’ A.R.A. all steel box car



Page 9 of the Mar. 1982 issue of MR magazine

RIO GRANDE VALLEY HO MODEL RAILROAD CLUB

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Bobe’s Hobby House 2004, Pensacola, FL




Athearn 50’ insulated plug-door boxcar

According to the Pensacola News Journal (Jan. 24, 2020), which reported the store’s closure, the store, which was opened by Elmer Peterson in Brownsville, was purchased by T.C. Bobe in 1954 and was later taken over by his son, Terry Bobe, and then T.C.'s grandson, Mike Bobe.


Athearn became a subsidiary of Horizon in 2004 and ceased sales of kits in 2009, making the specifications of this model of great interest to Blue Box modelers.

The composition of this kit is proof that the BB was changed to have EZ-MATE (McHenry) Couplers in 2004. The boss thickness of the frame is 4.4 to 4.5 mm, and the height of the truck center plate is 7.5 to 7.8 mm. The axles are non-magnetic. The storage box is a medium size that can be stored the model even after assembly. The instruction sheet said “INSULATED”, and “the couplers have been EZ-MATE since December 1998”, but it is unknown whether all of these have been changed at once. This model was assembled as is without any modification.

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I guess I could let the Trewsville Southern toot its own horn with some rolling stock (these are cars I have decaled myself with the help of either Circus City or Highball Graphics)


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Delmarva Model Railroad Club 2012, Delmar, DE






Athearn Collectibles 40’ double-door car stock#99455, the club’s official website

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South Florida Society of Model Engineers 1980, Opa Locka FL (Miami metropolitan area)






Con-Cor/Athearn 40’ slide-door boxcar



Page 12 of the Nov. 1980 issue of MR magazine

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